For Mid-Atlantic States Veterinary Clinic, May 19, 2016

1. WHAT IS TAKES TO BE A GOOD
SMALL RUMINANT VET
FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF A NON-VET
SUSAN SCHOENIAN
SHEEP & GOAT SPECIALIST
UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND EXTENSION
WESTERN MARYLAND RESEARCH & EDUCATION CENTER
SSCHOEN@UMD.EDU - WWW.SHEEPANDGOAT.COM
http://www.slideshare.net/schoenian

2. WHAT DO PRODUCERS AND VETERINARIANS WANT?
Producers
 Timely access to
information and services.
 Access (legal) to drugs.
 Value for their dollar.
Veterinarians
 To be put in situations where
they can help their clients
and patients.
 Ensure legal and proper use
of animal health products.
 To be fairly compensated for
their services.

3. CURRENT SITUATION
 A veterinary education is very expensive.
 Only a small percentage of graduates from
US veterinary schools go on to work with
food animals.
 Many graduates have limited knowledge
and experience with large animals,
especially small ruminants.
 Many small ruminant producers do not
utilize the services of veterinarians,
especially in the area of whole flock/herd
management.
 We need more veterinarians who are willing
to work with sheep and goat producers and
who are knowledgeable about small
ruminant health and production.

4. IN 2011, 28.2% OF SHEEP OPERATIONS WERE VISITED BY VET.
IN 2009, 34.8% OF GOAT OPERATIONS HAD CONSULTING VET.
Reason Percent operations
Sheep disease diagnosis 46.9
Sheep disease prevention 45.3
Sheep nutritional information 12.3
Sheep production management practices 12.4
Lambing problems 34.7
Lameness 9.1
Other 5.6
Any reason, including health certificate, breeding
soundness exam, and pregnancy check
51.8

5. WHY THIS NEEDS TO CHANGE
 Small ruminant producers can benefit
from the veterinary-client-patient
relationship.
 Producers can’t (shouldn’t) do everything
where animal health is concerned.
 Without the services of a veterinarians,
animal welfare is sometimes
compromised.
 Small ruminant producers are a
potentially untapped client-base for many
veterinarians, especially mixed-animal
practitioners.

6. WHY THIS HAS TO CHANGE: DRUGS
 Few drugs are approved for use in sheep, even
fewer for goats.
 Extra-label drugs are often required to treat and
manage disease in a sheep flock, goat herd, or
feedlot.
 Only a veterinarian can use and/or prescribe
drugs extra-label.
 Laws and policies regarding drug use in livestock
are only going to get stricter.
 The new Veterinary Feed Directive (January
2017) will require prescriptions for antibiotics that
are put in the feed or added to the water. Some
water drugs (e.g. DiMethox®) are being
transitioned from OTC to Rx.
 Both producers and veterinarians are harmed by
illegal use of animal health products.

7. WHY THIS HAS TO CHANGE: PUBLIC
 The public is demanding stricter control of
antibiotics and other animal health products.
 The public is demanding that their food be
produced with fewer drugs and chemicals.
 The public is increasingly interested in how
their food is produced, including how
animals are raised.
 It will take partnerships between producers,
government, veterinarians, and other service
providers to successfully manage animal
health in these changing times and ensure
that reasonable policies are enacted and
consumers are satisfied.

8. PARTNERSHIP: DIFFERENT ROLES
Producer
 Deworming and injections
 Vaccinations (except rabies)
 Docking, castrating, and disbudding
 Obstetrics
 Disease diagnosis
 Sample collection (fecal, blood, tissue,
skin)
 Simple “surgeries,” treatments, and first
aid.
 Rx treatments as prescribed by
veterinarian
 Field “necropsy”
Veterinarian
 More complicated obstetrics, especially for new
and less experienced producers.
 Later docking, castrating, and dehorning.
 More complex disease diagnosis
 Conduct, suggest tests for disease diagnosis
 Sample collection (blood, tissue)
 Prescribe drugs for treatment
 Surgeries, such as caesarian section
 Necropsies
 Emergency care

9. FLOCK/HERD HEALTH MANAGEMENT
VS. EMERGENCY CALLS
Emergency treatment
 Producer calls veterinarian at last
minute.
Animal dies – it is vet’s fault or
veterinarian is not available
 Veterinarian may not have
specific knowledge of farm and
enterprise.
 Some emergency calls are
necessary.
Flock/herd health management
 Veterinarian is part of management
team; visits farm periodically,
establishes veterinary-client-patient
relationship.
 Veterinarian is familiar with operation:
nutrition, management, etc. – can
make better recommendations.
 Places emphasis on prevention rather
than treatment of disease.
 Cost savings in the long run.

10. KNOW THE GOAL OF THE ENTERPRISE AND FARM
 Pets
 Grazing management
 Hobby
 4-H or youth project
 Small farm - for profit
 Large farm - for profit
 Diversified farm

11. KNOW THE PRODUCTION EMPHASIS AND END PRODUCT(S)
 Seedstock - show
 Seedstock - commercial
 4-H and youth projects
 Commercial – market animals
(feeder or slaughter)
 Commercial - meat (and wool)
 Commercial - dairy
 Commercial - feedlot or grazing

12. KNOW THE PRODUCTION PHILOSOPHY
 Low input
 Intensive
 Certified organic
Organic philosophy
 Natural
 Animal-welfare approved
Humane certified
 Grass-fed, pasture-raised,
free-range
 Zero grazing (confinement)
 Other certifications

13. ASK QUESTIONS ABOUT FEEDING & NUTRITION
 Feed is the largest cost in a sheep or goat
operation, especially feeding enterprise.
 Good nutrition is the foundation of animal health.
 Does the farm test feeds and forages?
 Does the farm weigh feed and animals?
 Does the farm feed balanced rations?
 What is the suplementation program?
 Does the farm grow or buy feed?
 Where does the farm buy feed?
 Has soil and water been tested?

14. FIND OUT WHAT MOST COMMON HEALTH PROBLEMS ARE
 Internal parasites
Worms (which specie?) and/or coccidia
Clinical or sub-clinical?
 Foot problems
Foot rot or scald
 Mastitis
Clinical or sub-clinical, hard bag (OPP, CAE)
 Metabolic
Pregnancy toxemia, enterotoxemia,
floppy kid, other
 Respiratory
 Other

15. LEARN CURRENT ANIMAL HEALTH PRACTICES
Parasite control
 Deworming practices
 Use of fecal egg counts
 Use of FAMACHA©
 Use of coccidiostats
 Other parasite control strategies
Vaccinations
 Clostridial diseases
Enterotoxemias, tetanus, others
3, 7, or 8-way vaccine
Vaccination schedule (pregnant dams,
offspring)
 Soremouth (orf)
 Abortions
 Pneumonia
 Caseous lymphadenitis
 Rabies
 Other

16. OTHER ANIMAL HEALTH PRACTICES
 Footrot/scald
 OPP - Maedi Visna
CAE
 Scrapie
 Johne’s disease (OJD)
 Caseous lymphadenitis (CL)
 Other

17. ASK ABOUT BIOSECURITY
 Flock/herd status
Closed, mostly-closed (only males introduced), frequent
introductions, showing/exhibiting, sharing of males, breeding for
other producers
 Quarantine practices
Place, duration, animal health practices (re: hoof health, internal
parasites)
 Disease status(es): scrapie, OPP, CL, JD, footrot, orf
 Visitors
 Other practices

18. ENCOURAGE PRODUCERS TO SET BENCHMARKS
 Pregnancy rates
# females exposed / # females ewes
lambing
 Lambing/kidding percentage
# lambs/kids marketed/ # females exposed
 Pre-weaning death losses (< 10%)
 Post-weaning death losses (<5%)
 Ewe/doe replacement rate (<20%)
 Other performance measures

19. ENCOURAGE PRODUCERS TO DO TESTING
 Necropsies
 Tissue analysis / cultures
 Disease - OPP, CAE,
scrapie
 Forage, feed, water, and
soil

20. TALK LIKE A PRODUCER
 Correctly identify breeds
(or don’t mention breed).
Don’t have a “favorite”
breed
 Learn market terminology.
 Complain about weather
and prices. 

21. WHAT PRODUCERS NEED TO DO
 Value role of veterinarian in flock/herd health
management.
 Be willing learn from veterinarian(s).
 Commit to use drugs properly and legally
 Commit to a high level of animal welfare.
 Provide proper handling and restraint of animals
during on-farm consultations and treatments.
 Be willing to transport individual animals to clinic,
 Share knowledge and experience
 Follow-up on specific cases; let vet know what
happened.

22. WHAT VETERINARIANS NEED TO DO
 Keep up-to-date on sheep and goat health
and management.
 Take advantage of continuing education
opportunities.
 Be available
 Follow-up with clients; find out what
happened.
 Be visible in industry.
 Be willing to learn from producers.
 Demonstrate that having a veterinarian as
part of the farm management team
improves profitability.

23. REACH OUT TO PRODUCERS
 Web site
 Social media
 Newsletters
 Open house
 Host educational programs
 Speak at educational
programs
 Interact with industry
 Raise sheep, goats 

24. CONSIDER OFFERING ADDITIONAL SERVICES
Parasite control
 Fecal egg counting
Monitor pasture contamination
To select resistant animals
To determine drug efficacy*
 Larvae ID
Reproduction
 Breeding soundness exam
semen evaluation
 Pregnancy diagnosis
 Assisted reproduction
Artificial insemination (AI)
Embryo transfer (ET)

25. THANK YOUR FOR YOUR ATTENTION.
ARE THERE ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS?
SUSAN S CHOENIAN
Sheep & Goat Specialist
sschoen@umd.edu
www.sheepandgoat.